Channel type screed, used in the construction of walls, is known. See, for example, Knapp, U.S. Pat. No. 1,282,592, issued Oct. 22, 1918. Channel screed (partitions) in the surface material of walls are used for aesthetic purposes in the construction of wall surfaces. Screed can be used in building construction when the walls are covered with cement, mortar, plaster, stucco, drywall, etc. for partitioning the wall into segments of various size and shape. When using channel screed, the inside of the channel can then be painted or given a different texture to set it apart from the rest of the wall surface. This can give an otherwise homogenous surface a pleasing look and a new character.
Currently, channel screed is often made of aluminum and fastened together in various arrangements by either heliarc welds or cloth tape. Problems develop because the welds often are not water-tight, allowing damaging moisture to seep through the screed joints and into the wall. With cloth tape, the adhesive gradually fails, eventually letting water seep through the joints in the screed and collect behind the stucco or drywall, similarly damaging the walls.
Currently, channel screed is typically cut at the construction site, with the aid of jigs, to mate at intersections, thereby forming a joint. Such process requires that cutting equipment and appropriate jigs be transported to and set up at the job site. The process of cutting the channels while on the job site, in an attempt to form properly mating joint sections, is time consuming and difficult. Difficulty also arises in forming a tight joint between intersecting screed channels. A loose joint between intersecting screed channels usually results in a joint which may not be water-tight.